Mississippi had a much needed bye this past weekend, which gave coaches, players and fans a chance to watch the next opponent coming to Starkville to face the Bulldogs - Alabama. I would say after Ole Miss, Alabama is probably our biggest rival.

The game is set for 6pm Saturday night on ESPN, which will be the second time that Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge and Erin Andrews will visit Scott Field this year. It will also be the second time that Dan Mullen is put in the spotlight against a top 5 team in a prime-time game. Chances are that we will also break our attendance record for the second time in a single season. The Florida game brought out a record crowd of 57,178.

Mississippi State needs to win 2 of its last 3 games to make it to a bowl this year. That is easier said than done with home games against Alabama and Ole Miss and a road trip to Arkansas. Many think that Alabama has been showing signs of weakness in recent games and that Mississippi State has a chance. What is for certain is that this will be an exciting game and hopefully put us only 1 win away from a bowl.

The Mobile Press-Register has two stories about next weekend's matchup already: one talks about Mississippi State getting the stage set for another prime-time showdown with a National Championship contender and the other has some reaction from Dan Mullen about the talent level of the Alabama team.

Coming up this week on FWTCT:

• Guest Blogger Q & A
• A look at Dixon and Ingram
• SEC Power Poll ballot and results